EastEnders’ Jessie Wallace did all her own stunts in Kat and Alfie spin-off Redwater and promises fans will see ‘a softer side’ to mouthy Walford icon
JESSIE Wallace has revealed that she did all her own stunts in the EastEnders Kat and Alfie spin-off Redwater.
The soap star also promised fans that they will see "a softer side" to the usually mouthy Walford icon, in the new six-part series..
The hotly anticipated show will follow fan favourites Kat Slater (Jessie) and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) as they trek to an Irish town called Redwater in search of her long-lost son.
The thriller is expected to include shocking twists and turns as the characters try to uncover the truth.
In the trailer for the show, fans see Jessie submerged in murky waters.
Speaking about to the Daily Star she said: “I’ve done my own stunts and my highlight would probably have to be where I jump from a boat into the sea and the underwater sequence.
“We shot that in Dublin and it was freezing cold!”.
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Jessie has been playing feisty Kat for nearly 17 years, and hopes that Redwater will go on for years to come.
She said: “Kat is a very colourful person – there’s a lot of layers to her. To play a character for 16 years and bring it to this means there’s plenty underneath to bring to the surface.
“So much has happened to her and that’s what she brings to Redwater.
“Since leaving Walford, going to Spain and then coming to Ireland to find her son, she’s kind of mellowed which you can even see in the way she dresses.
"It’s a softer side to Kat than we’ve seen before, but there’s definitely still that fiery side to her, just not as much as we’ve seen in EastEnders.
“She’s at a point where she wants peace and to settle down with no more drama in her life.”
Meanwhile, co-star Shane Richie echos her call for the show to continue, as he revealed today that he would quite happily swap Walford for Redwater.
Speaking to the he said: "I hope it runs and runs and Redwater goes on for ever. "There's very much a thriller tone to it, big secrets, which I hope will keep the audience tuning in.
"Alfie's journey is to help his wife find her son but at the same time he has his own dark secret which he's keeping.
"The drama is very mythical, there's something magical here."
The official air-date for the series has been confirmed for Sunday 14 May – while the drama won’t hit British screens until Thursday 18 May.
But because of this fans of Kat and Alfie have taken to Twitter to express fears they won’t be able to avoid hearing spoilers – like the identity of Kat’s long-lost child.
One fan demanded an explanation from show producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, tweeting: “How come @rteone are showing #Redwater 4 days before @BBCOne? Will spoil it for UK fans. Luke's identity & other twists will leak.”
Another said: “So unfair to millions of viewers in UK. Not saying we should get it first instead, just show it on the same day in UK & Ireland.”
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